Angels: Torii Hunter not down, even though team is in second place on Fourth

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In the past three seasons, the Angles stood in first place in the American League West going in to July 4.

Now, they’re in second place, 4 1/2 games back of Texas.

Worried, Torii Hunter?

‘I’ve been playing a long time and I’ve been with a lot of teams where we’re down, and then we end up in first place all the time,’ the Angels center-fielder said after the Angels’ 4-2 loss to Kansas City Saturday. ‘So I don’t really look at it that way. You might want to ask that question to some of the younger guys.

‘But for me, I still see the light. It’s there, it’s right there in our grasp. We’re not too far away. I’ve been on teams where we were 7 1/2, eight games back at the end of July and August, and we end up winning the league. Four and a half is like ‘Wow, thank you.’’

And, in other post-deadline news...

-- Infielder Robb Quinlan was optioned to triple-A Salt Lake. No other move was announced.

-- In games over the July 4th weekend, MLB teams are wearing special ‘Stars & Stripes’ hats, which have the American flag etched into the team’s logo and are off-white with red or blue brims. All of the proceeds raised from the sale of the caps will be donated to Welcome Back Veterans, a program that assists returning veterans and their families.

-- Baxter Holmes